Alchemic Hearts
by Q. Fuller
Summary: The Crimson Elixir, The Tabula Smaragdina, and a missing Chimera. It all started with a girl on the beach.
1. It begins?

"This is bad." Riku stared of into the distance. A storm was coming in fast over the horizon.

"Yeah, what're you going to do Riku?" Sora looked up to the left at the older boy.

"We're going to have to have everyone evacuate the town. That isn't a regular storm. It's alchemy based."

Sora stared back at the sea. "Today's going to be a wild ride." He said.

xoxoxox

This is the story of Sora, a 14 year old boy from Crystal City. The story actually began a few years before, when Kairi arrived in Crystal City. Sora and his best friend Riku were six and seven at the time Kairi came. The thing about it was she didn't move there, she just showed up unconscious on the beach one day. It was Sora who found her and both he and Riku carried her to the police, who in turn carried her to the hospital. When she regained consciousness, she was sent to live at the orphanage, where she met Riku for the first time; who was also an orphan. After explaining what happened, she was introduced to Sora. The three became best friends for years to come. Sora, the only one with parents, never could understand the loneliness they went through. Sometimes they'd play on another part of the beach, away from the tedium of the city. 

Through it all, Sora, Kairi and Riku remained best friends. From first grade, all the way to high school; they remained together. That is until Riku began wondering things. Like about Kairi's past, where she's from and how she got to Crystal City in the first place. It was then he decided to study Alchemy. He had grown tired of the orphan life, and decided to make gold so they could leave. Sora, reluctant to help, shied away from the orphanage for a while; leaving Kairi feeling abandoned and Riku alienated. Though Riku took it hard, Kairi was devastated. For you see she had a secret; she was in love with Sora.

One day Kairi got sick, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. No amount of alchemy could remedy what ailed her. Riku, depressed, decided to find a cure for her; providing he found out what was wrong with her. It was later Sora came back. He found out Kairi was sick. Sora knew of a cure; Panacea or the elixir of life, a remedy that supposedly would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. Under threat of Kairi dying, Sora decided to take up alchemy.

One day, Riku came back. He saw Sora and went berserk, attacking his former best friend. In the end, Sora's alchemy was no match for Riku's. Due to Kairi interfering, Riku spared Sora. It broke his heart to see her protecting Sora after he abandoned them. "The Crimson Elixir" Sora said. They stared at him. "The cure is the Crimson Elixir." Sora had found a cure, but no way to obtain it. Unfortunately for them, to make the Crimson Elixir, it requires human lives. And so Riku set out again, to find said remedy to cure Kairi's ailment, blissfully unaware of what it truly is.

The night before Sora was to set out for his search, the orphanage burned to the ground. In the remains of the ashes was Kairi's motionless body. Sora sent Riku a message to come back, and that's where the story picks up.

xoxoxox

"What do you mean it's too late?" Riku shouted over the telephone. Sora had to pull the receiver from his ear.

"The orphanage burned down. The elixir won't work on those who aren't alive. It's over, just come home." Sora put the phone down. A tear fell from his eye as he reminisced about the good days.

Sora stood up from the desk and walked over to his closet. The funeral was in two days. He stared at his suit he was going to wear. "Kairi, sorry I'm so late."

xox

Riku dropped the phone. He was stunned. His search was over, it was too late; Kairi was dead. Riku's eyes widened in shock "N-no." He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. Kairi couldn't be dead. Not before he saved her.

Unbeknownst to Sora, Riku was in love with Kairi as well. He knew that she loved she loved Sora; which hurt him more. It was supposed to be him, but this wasn't the time for what should've been. Riku got out of bed and put on his white pair of pants that happened to lie next to him.

As soon as Riku got to the closet to get his shirt and coat, there was a knock at the door. "It is checkout time sir. We'll give you a moment to collect your things."

Riku checked his pocket. "What?" He had to check again. "Where is my wallet?" His eyes widened. Riku took a deep breath and simply said "Oh fuck."

"Get back here you bum!" The owner of the inn threw a rock at Riku. He had made his escape without paying. Riku was on some type of chariot that moved without anyone pulling it. The sparks from the use of alchemy flew everywhere.

"Sorry for this! I'll pay you back another tiiiime." The chariot began swerving. "Whoa!" Riku lost control. The ride swerved over to the right, down a hill, and into a stream.

Riku spat out water as he sat up. "What a morning." Unaware that his bad luck wasn't over, Riku walked up the hill, only to slip in mud. His brand new suit was outfit was ruined. "This will never come out of white. I might as well leave it now." He began removing his coat.

"There he is! Get him!" Riku's eyes widened. "Oh fuck." He ran as fast as he could in a random direction, knocking people over. "Sorry!" He shouted to them as he kept going.

"You won't catch me!" Riku hopped over a fruit cart trying to evade the street guards. As he landed, Riku collided with a woman. She was much taller than him. The lady looked down at him with a piercing gaze. Riku froze. His good time with his bad luck had stopped. The woman's eyes resembled those of a dragon. They scared him.

"I gotcha you little bastard" The guards grabbed him by the arms, but he couldn't stop watching the scary lady. He was paralyzed with fear, and there was nothing he could do.

"Hey, you see something you like?" The man next to her nudged her a bit.

"Why yes. I think I do." She grinned at Riku struggling to get away.

xox

"Good morning his royal highness" The royal court alchemist Donald Mallard let himself into the audience chamber. He opened the small door that was inside the larger door and began a long walk towards the throne. "It's nice to see you this morn-" Donald paused in shock. The king was usually sitting in his throne listening to Donald rambling; but he wasn't today.

The short alchemist moved close enough to the throne to see a note. He picked it up and began to read. His eyes widened "WHAT?!"

"WHHAAAAAAATTT" Was heard all through the castle as Donald ran screaming. The queen and her nursemaid were at attention; the only one in the castle who didn't notice all the screaming was the very person Donald was running towards. The queen followed the voice of the king's panicking advisor/alchemist.

"Wake up Goofy, wake up. This is serious!" Goofy's eyes drifted open peacefully like he rested for days. "G'morning Donald"

"We have a problem. But don't tell anyone." Donald whispered.

"Not even the queen?" His eyes focused on the two ladies behind Donald.

"Not even the queen."

"Daisy" Goofy inquired.

"NO!" Donald shouted. He noticed where Goofy's eyes were aimed at.

"Ahem" Went the queen.

xox

"What on earth is wrong with you?" Sora grabbed Riku by the collar. "First you leave, and then you get arrested. What next, you commit murder?"

Riku rolled his eyes. He was seriously contemplating murder at that moment. "Look, I asked could you come get me, not give me lip. I could hear that in jail." The older boy removed himself from Sora's flimsy grip. "In any case, what are you doing here by yourself? Shouldn't you be escorted everywhere for what happened?"

Sora paused. "This isn't the time to talk about that, although I can't imagine how you found out." His head sunk low. "Right now, we need to get back. There is a report on the radio about a storm rolling in. We really should go." Disdain leaked from the brunet's voice and stung like poison in an open wound. Truthfully, he didn't want Riku around anymore, but he knew it would make Kairi happy for them both to be there.


	2. Episode 1

"And her memory will live in our hearts forever, Amen" The minister gave the benediction for Kairi's funeral. For some reason, none of the other orphans were harmed during the fire. They all sat in the second row. In the first row were Riku, Sora, his parents, and the directors of the orphanage. Sora's mother wiped a tear from her eye. It was truly a sad occasion.

Riku gazed longingly at the casket. Her body was burned so badly, that they decided to not show her remains. Deep inside, he blamed Sora for her death. The boy folded his arm across his chest, and exhaled through his nose loudly to show his disdain for the boy to his right.

As the box holding Kairi's charred remains was lowered into the ground Riku muttered something under his breath.

"Hunh" Sora turned to the elder boy. "You say something Riku?" He asked his friend.

"I said this is your fault." Sora's eyes widened at Riku's statement. Inside a deep fury grew. He refused to get blamed for it, especially when it was Riku's fault more than his.

"Excuse me?" Sora jumped up.

"You heard me crybaby. I said this is your fault." Riku hopped up as well pushing Sora at the same time.

"And how exactly is this, my fault?" Sora pushed Riku back. Tensions were rising between the two. The other homeless orphans in the second row cowered in fear. They were all friends with Riku, Sora and Kairi. Never before had they seen anyone so scary. Gasps were scattered through the small crowd. Then everyone became silent waiting for the comeback.

"Because you abandoned her" He stared down the brunet. Sora was taken agape by his comment.

Without hesitation, Sora punched Riku in the face. He stumbled back a couple of steps and held his face. A small stream of blood trickled from his mouth. Riku wiped the blood away, but a bit more fell.

"If you want to point fingers, try looking in the mirror! Kairi was our friend and with every word you ever said, you reminded her of how much she hated her life! On and on about how the orphanage was hell, you never stopped to think about anything!" He shouted at his formed best friend. His eyes swollen with tears; the bond was broken.

"All this talk coming from the golden child, with a golden spoon, up his golden ass; you have nerve! The orphanage was hell! If you bothered to come down off of your rich high horse, you'd know that!" Both of their voices were elevated. The younger children who looked up to Riku were scared. They had never seen him that angry. "What was there to ever think about? You were rich, I was poor! That was ever the only reason we hung out! I was just your charity case!"

Sora jumped on the boy resulting in them both hitting the floor. He grabbed Riku's neck with his left hand, and began pounding on the boy's face with the other. Riku easily pushed him off. He got up and threw Sora into a foldable metal chair.

"Sora! Riku! Both of you stop it this instant!" Sora's mother shrieked at them in a high pitched, shrill voice.

The brunet managed to fold a chair and send it into the general direction of his aggressor. Riku was able to avoid the folded metal chair, and lifted his right leg to stomp on Sora. The boy rolled over to dodge. Riku's leg missed, and went out the back of the chair.

Sora scrambled to get away. He slipped past Riku under his trapped leg and ran for the chair he threw. Riku growled in rage. His face was twisted up into a scowl. He kicked the light, metal chair off of him. It flew into the pole that was holding up the covering. It collapsed, causing everyone still underneath to evacuate.

Neither boy was able to see the other. The covering landed on their heads, just as Sora was swinging with the chair. The hit landed, but was cushioned. Regardless, Riku still fell back.

"You were never a pity case! You were my best friend!" Sora dropped the chair. His voice returned to normal. "I even asked you if you want to be adopted. I wanted my best friend to be my brother. I offered you a chance to join my family." The tears began falling. "Don't worry about that now. Now you are just a charity case."

Still covered by the rain repellent, usually used over funerals, Sora tried to find a way out. He made his way to the edge, where he was assaulted with looks of fear and anger. The boy wiped away the tears, and his mother ran to him. Even though he had ruined the funeral, Sora needed love. He just had an intense moment.

A pool of blood lied under the semi-conscious Riku. For a moment, he considered suffocating himself, but decided it wouldn't solve the problem. He was just struggling with acceptance, and losing. Sora was right, and he knew it; thought neither was completely faultless.

With the blood he lost and his finger, Riku drew a circle. In the middle was a pattern of intricate design. He weakly rose to his knees, hoping to escape further embarrassment. People outside the area under the covering heard a "clap."

Sparks erupted from the small blood circle. Like magic, the covering disappeared as did the blood. He stood up completely, and looked at Sora. "What about me? Don't I deserve a happy ending too?" Riku asked Sora.

Sora pulled away from his mother. "You call this a happy ending?" He pointed around to all the scared people watching them. "Take a look around. Everyone is scared of you, or hates you. You ruined the funeral of the only person who ever cared for you except for me. She's gone, and she's not coming back. You can either accept it, or don't. I don't care anymore. Just leave us alone so we can memorialize her." He glared at Riku.

Riku looked around at everyone. The younger children were scared, the adults were angry. "What the hell are you looking at?!" He shouted at each of them. "huh?" He took a deep breath. "What the hell are you looking at?!" Riku reapeated to the crowd.

"They're waiting for you to leave." Sora stepped forward.

"Then I'll show them leave." Riku clapped his hands again. His right hand glowed with the sparks of alchemy. He brought his right arm back to attack. Sora tried to move away, but it was too late. Riku's arm came forward with the force of a hurricane. Sora caught the hit full force. He flew backwards. Some of the people had to move to not get hit by the airborne brunet.

Sora braced himself for impact. The boy hit a cross, causing it to look like a "T", and landed in the arms of an angel statue.

"Sora!" His mother yelped.

The pain hit him seconds later. "K-yaaahhh!" He screamed. Sora dropped to the ground with a "thump." There was a hole in the front of Sora's white dress shirt, exposing a bit of singed flesh. Sora stood up holding his back. "Alchemy? Bring it."

Riku charged at his rival, with sparking fist. Sora readied for another attack. His fist contacted Sora's stomach. He flew back into the angel statue, breaking it.

While in the air, Sora pulled out a piece of chalk from his back, left pocket. He held on to a piece of the statue, and drew a circle quickly. He had to be quick; that is, if he was going to keep up with Riku. A flash went lit up behind the rock.

"There you are." Riku ran and jumped into the air.

Sora had made it just in time. He transmuted the stone into armor of some sort. His body moved through the stone like it was butter. As whatever leftover material Sora didn't use passed him, Riku's fist collided with his stomach again.

Inside the palm of each of Sora's hand was a transmutation circle. Sora was fast. He clapped his hands. "So this is how you use that? You don't finish transmuting, and the alchemic energy is what does damage. That was smart." Sora's hands lit up with the sparks of alchemy. Riku's eyes widened. He forced Riku back with the unstable wave of energy in his hands.

Riku shot towards the ground like a bolt of lightning. He hit three graves before he landed and slid a few feet, stopping at the tombstone of another. Sora landed in front of the broken statue. He quickly dropped to his knees. As soon as he hit the ground, the "armor" cracked and shattered. Riku had more hit that he thought.

"Riku are you done yet?" Sora called to his enemy to see if he was alive.

Silence

"Riku?"

Silence

A drop of rain hit Sora on the nose. More and more dropped on the scene.

"Riku?" The smug and anger melted away from Sora's voice. He began to walk towards Riku, but his mother grabbed him. He pulled away from her to walk faster towards him.

Scattered drizzlets came crashing down, then "BOOM" a thunderclap roared. The storm was coming in quick just like he had said.

Sora got on the ground next to Riku's unconscious body. "Wake up. Stop faking!" He grew concerned. Sora shook Riku's body. "Wake up!" His voice squeaked. Sora broke out crying at the thought of another friend dying. "Don't play with me!" Sora desparately shook the boy. His face got even wetter when the rain started pouring.

"Sora, we have to take him to the hospital." His mother called over the rain.

"Mom, I didn't mean to!" He shouted at his mother

"I know son. I love him like a son, but he's beyond our help now. Consumed by his jealousy and hatred. There's nothing we can do."

"Make it right mom." Sora grabbed his mother's dress and bawled. His two best friends in the world...gon-

"cough"

"Hunh?" Sora's mother heard a low sound. It was barely inaudible under Sora and the rain. She could see the breath of life re-enter Riku's chest. She gasped. "Sora, we have to get him to the hospital now!" She pushed Sora off of Riku and grabbed him.

"Someone escort us to the hospital! We need to get him there immediately!" She moved over to the hearse. Nobody moved. "What are you all staring at? Help me!" Despite what happened, she still loved Riku like a son. And it hurt her to see one of her children in pain.

"Why?" Asked the orphanage director. "Riku was always a pain, and I was always too anxious to get rid of him. When he left, it was the happiest day of my life."

"Riku always stole from me. I never liked him. Why do you think I didn't stop the fight? For kicks?" Another funeral goer spoke.

Sora's mom looked at the group with disgust. "So you'll let a child die so your lives can be that much easier?" Everyone came to a silent consensus. They all stood their ground.

She looked at the children. "You all don't hate Riku do you?" The children were silent as well. They didn't hate him, they were scared. Not just of the directors, but of Riku as well.

"No ma'am." One of the children stepped forward. "I'll help you." He started to walk over to her.

"Tidus, if you take one more step, I'll personally make sure you're never adopted." The orphanage director shouted. Tidus paused. "That's right, now get back where you were."

Sora looked at the man. "Stay there Tidus." He stopped. The director looked at Sora. "You're an evil man." Sora pointed him.

"And you're a spoiled brat. Tidus go get in the car. I think Sora's mouth has made up my mind for me." He looked at the blond.

That was enough. Sora's mother dropped Riku and ran at the director and sucker punched him. "I think you're done." He stumbled back a few feet, but he didn't fall. "You'll pay for that!" He raised his arm and backslapped her.

"Then try me!" Sora had already charged after his mom. He jumped over her as she fell back. "CLAP!" Sora brought his alchemy charged fist behind him. The man tried to block, but it was too late. The blow landed on his face, breaking his jaw, and sending him soaring through the air. He crashed into another statue of an angel, and landed in an open grave.

"Are you okay mom?" Sora helped his mother up. She grabbed his hand.

"Yes, I'm fine. Let's go." As they headed back to the car, Tidus grabbed Sora's shirt.

"Sora, I'm sorry. I didn't want-"

"It's alright. He taunted you with adoption. That's something he shouldn't have done. You did the right thing." He turned back and opened the car door for his mother to stuff Riku into the back seat.

At the hospital...

"He's not dying. He needs rest. There's some light internal bruising, but the bleeding has stopped; and there is just a first degree burn, but that's it." Dr. Trezol gave them the news. "Whatever he was doing, he needs to stop. Next time he won't be so lucky as to be alive." The doctor walked out of the room, leaving Sora and his mother.

"So, Sora. When exactly were you planning on telling me you were studying alchemy?" The boy stopped dead in his tracks. He chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, about that. See, what had happened was-" His mother stopped him.

"I'm tired of these lies Sora. You almost killed Riku using that stuff. I want the truth. How long have you been studying alchemy?" She gave him a stern look.

"A few years. A little after Riku left the first time. When Kairi got sick is when I started to use alchemy. But, it wasn't for a fighting or greedy use. I wanted to create the Panacea; the elixir of life. Whatever ails you will be cured." He looked up at her. She looked touched.

"You'd risk yourself for this girl? You would really put your life on the line for her?" Her eyes welled up with an empty sense of joy. Sora nodded. "Sora, that was love. You were in love for the first time. How did it feel?"

Sora grabbed his chest where his heart is and gripped it tightly in his hand. "It made me feel happy right here. It was the best feeling ever." His smile faded after he realized that she was gone. Sora's mother then realized the magnitude of the questioned she had asked.

"Now it feels like it's been ripped out and stabbed by seven knives over and over again." Sora's eyes dropped to the floor. He began to cry as the severity of it all finally hit him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you felt this way about her. Is there anything I can do?"

It was at that moment Riku woke up. He listened in on the rest of the conversation. His face was towards the wall, so they didn't see his eyes open.

"Not unless you can bring her back." Those words echoed through Riku's mind over and over. "Bring her back." He whispered to himself.

"..." Sora's mother attempted to speak, but not words came. She walked out of the room to let him regain composure.

As soon as she left, Riku spoke up. "You did it wrong." He said enticingly.

"Riku!" Sora wiped the tears from his face and got up. "You're okay!"

"Yeah, you're still a newb. You can't hurt me too much." He chuckled weakly.

"Riku." He smiled.

"Next time, don't draw it on your hands. You might wind up accidentally transmutating yourself. Then how will you use alchemy genius?" He motioned himself so he could sit up. "Yours was only more powerful because you used an extremely dangerous version of it. Tell me, are your hands burnt?"

They looked at Sora's hands and sure enough, they were burnt. "What does that mean?" He asked.

"It means Sora, until you're ready for combat alchemy, you shouldn't use that technique. It disrupts the flow of equivalent exchange, and endangers your life. Never use it unless you need to." He looked at Sora with a serious look on his face. Sora nodded.

"What?" Riku felt a strange look from Sora.

"We're not fighting." He smiled.

"Well that's probably because I was thrown to the ground with a bone shattering force." Riku snickered at his joke, but Sora was serious. "Look, I'm sorry I said those things. I know you have never had any animosity towards me. I was just upset because of how things happened. I guess I'm struggling with the acceptance part of grief."

Sora was surprised to say the least. "I'm not at the acceptance stage either. I never realized until this moment, I loved Kairi. Now she's gone forever." He began to look sad again.

This was as good an opening as any. "Forever could be shorter if you want."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Riku smiled on the inside. "

"Legend tells of a stone called the "Philosopher's Stone." They say, those who possess the stone have the ability to command Equivalent Exchange. The rules of life and death don't apply to those who hold it."

"I've heard about the Philosopher's Stone Riku. The stone is made every few decades. How do we know it's being made now?"

"We wouldn't need a completed stone, just the ingredients. They're just everyday household items. The stuff that's not, you could get someplace like a hobby shop." He grabbed a peice of paper and pen from the desk next to him. "I want you to go get these items. You have the resources for them. Let no one know what you're doing." Sora nodded.and left the room.

As Sora walked out, Sora's mom walked in. Instantly, Riku feared the worst. He wounds hadn't began to heal yet. As usual, he was right. He cringed in pain as she slapped his face. After Riku opened his eyes and looked back at her, he could see that she was crying.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"I don't know what to do. Should I be mad at you for wrecking the funeral? Should I be mad for introducing Sora to alchemy? Should I be mad that you attacked Sora?" Tears ran down her face and off of her chin. Riku looked down in embarrasment. All of those things were true. He wrecked the funeral because he couldn't deal with the fact that Kairi was dead, and he felt like it was his fault. If it wasn't for him, Sora would never have taken up alchemy. Because of his unwillingness to accept Kairi's death, he attacked Sora, blaming it on him. "Even through all of that, I'm just glad you're okay." She hugged Riku. He looked at her confused.

"Riku, Sora wasn't lying when he said he wanted you as a brother. So, if you still want to, the adoption papers are here." She sat them on his legs.

Riku shook his head "no." As far as he was concerned, it wasn't an option. "I'm sorry, but I just couldn't do that. I've alredy caused this family enough grief. I can't accept that. I appreciate the offer, but I have to respectfully decline."

"Even though the answer is no, you're more than welcome to stay with us. Though there is one rule; no alchemy. I lost someone special to me due to alchemy, and I'd hate for it to happen to you two. You understand?" She gave her "mother's look"

"Yes ma'am."

"Now where is Sora?"

"Oh, he went to the store. He said he'll be back."

With Sora...

"Calcium, Carbon, Hydrogen? This is a list of junk. This stuff doesn't even amount to $50.00. Is he telling me that the stone is made of worthless junk?" Sora read the ingredients off of the list to himself.

He walked to the Blood Bank. The last store he had didn't have what little left he needed. They told him for that he'd have to bribe the manager of the blood bank for some blood.

"I need blood. About 40 lbs. of it." Sora said as he walked in. Everyone in the place looked at him strange. "Kid, like I hae 40 lbs. of blood just lying around. It takes time to harness that amount, and I'm not going to give it to you." Sora walked to the man and flashed a large wad of cash. He smiled. "Right this way sir."

The man led Sora into a large, cold, dark room. As they entered, the lights flicked on. "Now, what bloodtype do you need?"

"Bloodtype? Look, just give me whatever you have the most of, I'm in a hurry." Lightning flashed outside causing the lights to go out for a second.

"Alright, Type-B it is." He walked deeper into the cold storage room. "Do you have something to carry this in? It will weigh 40 lbs."

"I have a carrier, now give it to me." The look in his eye was desparate.

"Then it's a pleasure doing business with you." The man carried a large container filled with smaller containers; each of them had blood.

xox

"It's not like Sora to be late for dinner. Riku, do you know where he is?" Sora's mom was getting worried.

"No, but I think I should go look for him. He could be in trouble." Riku pushed himself away from the table. He had put back on his funeral clothes after they had dried to get out of the hospital gown. "I would hate or something to happen to him now that we reconciled." He tried to hide his guilt with a smile.

"Riku, take the limo. You'll cover more ground, and it'll keep you dry." She started to sound like a mother to Riku. Inside, he liked the feeling knowing that someone was there, but couldn't allow himself to embrace it. She smiled at him.

xox

The rain was getting bad. Sora was losing visibility. As he carried the heavy items in his large trenchcoat, he started to slow. The rain soaked the coat making it near impossible for him to move.

He spotted a red wagon. Sora dropped coat on the wagon, and pulled away. It was still heavy, but easier to move. The rain had Sora completely drenched. He decided to find a place to wait the rain out. There was an abandoned house at the end of the street where he used to play with his friends. It was the perfect place.

Sora tried the door. For someplace that was supposed to be abandoned, it seemed someone wanted to keep people out. The windows were boarded up, and there was a chain on the door. He hadn't been there in years, but it looked like someone was there more recently.

With all of his strength, he rushed the door; but to no avail. It would not budge. Under the door, there was a red glow. It was apparent that the door was sealed with alchemy. "Uhn" He grunted as the force of him colliding with the door exited his nose. "It's not use. It's sealed off." He looked around. On the side of the house was an alley. "Ah, maybe I can break a window to get in." Lightning flashed and thunder roared. It set the perfect moment.

Sora reached the back of the alley to see that there were no windows. On the very back wall, was a transmutation circle. It looked more advanced than any other Sora had ever seen before. The glyph was about to Sora's chest. There was a trail of slime that lead down to the ground. On the ground, there was a spot, like there was something there, but it evaporated. "What in the hell?" He inspected the strange event closely.

"I've come to see the altar." A voice crept from the darkness. It caught the brunet off guard. He spun around to see nothing there behind him. Sora fell back to the wall and dropped to the ground. His hand touched the residue of whatever was transmuted from the circle. His innerself went "ew."

"The stone is almost complete. Tied to the arcanum, soon to be completely reformed." Sora was freaked. Not only had someone snuck up on him, he was in a dark alley, with no weapon. He was unprotected. Who-who are you?"

"There is so very much to learn. You understand so little."

"Well, I'm going to leave the island one day. I'm going to learn what's out there." Sora shouted at the figure standing in the shade. His face was concealed by a large coat. He closed his eyes, not that Sora could see it.

"A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can undertand nothing."

Sora looked at the symbol on the wall with uncertainty. He took his eyes off the outline in the darkness for one second. When he looked back, it was gone. His eyes widened. Both the voice and the circle was gone. The boy was completely freaked out. He was almost too scared to move. It was then Sora noticed the back porch of the house. A second ago, there was just brick wall, now it was as if the wall never existed. "Seriously, what the hell?" Sora shouted at the "phantom" porch.

Riku had been driving for five minutes before he ended his search for Sora. He knew where the boy was supposed to be, or where he was, if that was indeed where he was at that moment. Before he left, Riku grabbed a shovel. He now was heading towards the graveyard in which Kairi was buried in earlier. With any luck, he'll be able to get her body out without any troubles.

Riku arrived at the graveyard to find that the groundskeeper was drunk and passed out. "Damn bum." The white haired boy mumbled to himself. He looked down at Kairi's grave. It wasn't even finished. "Lazy ass drunk bum."

Riku began digging. It was a few seconds before he hit the coffin. "Lazy ass groundskeeper. I should get him fired." He got down in the hole and opened the casket. There it was, like he had last saw it earlier that day. Perfectly preserved for the occasion of a funeral. "Just like I remember you. Now and forever." He whispered to her soulless body.

Riku poked his head out of the open grave. Rain poured in hard, so the hole was filling quickly. There was no one around. He had done it. For once, somethinng went right. He loaded her body into the back of the limo and drove off.

"That was too easy, almost like I'm being allowed to do this." Riku thought to himself.

He soon arrived at the abandoned house with the body in the back of the limo. Riku walked to the front porch, and pulled a key from his pocket. He unlocked the door, and unsealed the door. Apparently he was the one who put the barrier there. He opened the door and saw that it was just as he left it. "Home sweet hell." Riku looked around after putting Kairi's lifeless body on the floor inside the centel of a transmutation circle. He walked into the kitchen, only to find Sora climbing into the window.

"Sora?"

"Riku?"

"Sora, what are you doing? Why didn't you come in the front door?" He questioned the brunet. Obviously he hadn't thought of it.

"It was blocked by some kind of alchemic field. I couldn't get in any other way." He replied. Sora fell from the sink to the floor with a "thump." It was in his nature to be clumsy.

"You could have used alchemy to dispell the barrier, considering I put it up. Just get in before somone sees you." Riku facepalmed in his exhasperation.

"Actually someone already saw me. He stood in the darkness saying some really creepy things. Like "I've come to see the altar." and "the stone is almost complete. Tied to the arcanum. Do you think that he meant the philosopher's stone?" Sora so naively asked. Riku stared at him blankly.

"You were just hallucinating. Did you get everything I asked?" The older boy walked back into the near empty living room. The reason it was near empty was because there was a circle in the middle of the hardwood floor. There were six carefully placed candles around the chalk outline of the circle. In the exact center was Kairi.

Sora walked in behind him. "Kairi? How did you?"

"I have my ways. Just don't question them. Now place the ingredients where I tell you, okay?" Riku cut Sora off as he followed the elder into the living room.

"Um Riku?" The boy only responded "huh?". Sora's face dropped. "These are ingredients to the human body. What exactly is going on?" Sora watched his sempai. Riku just stared at Kairi. "You chose him over me? " He thought.

Riku stood up and looked away. "It's time I told you. My plan is to revive Kairi using alchemy. And to offer eqivalent exchange, I'll offer the ingredients of the human body so that it doesn't take her body to the gate. It's equivalent. I give the gate the ingredients for a human, and it gives me a soul in exchange. It's pure genius. We can do this together." Riu turned towards Sora and held out his hand.

"Together we can do it." Sora grabbed Riku's hand. They had come to an agreement.

xox

Sparks illuminated the room in a burst of light. "Is there any type of incantation we need to say for this to work?" Sora shouted over the sounds of the static.

"No, we're doing it right!" He replied.

The light surrounding Kairi's dead body engulfed her. This was the time for the trade. Riku smiled as he could feel Kairi's warmth flow around him. They had don't it. Her soul was back in the world of the living. Something inside made Riku so warm that he broke into tears. It was as if she had never died, he could almost see the entity surrounding him.

Sora froze. He didn't get the good feeling Riku got. Instead, he got a cold, dark feeling; like something was weighing down on him. His eyes widened with absolute horror. Sora could feel the gate coming for him. It whispered things in his ear.

"Come."

"Come with us."

"You belong with us."

Sora opened his mouth to call Riku. There was only silence. "Riku!" He thought again, but his mouth remained quiet.

At last the gate was upon Sora, and the boy was completely terrorized. He was so wound up in his fear, that he was paralyzed. Sora was no longer in Crystal City.

There was only darkness surrounding Sora, and the gate was directly in front of him. The gate was just a double door. It looked to be made of mortar. There were designs on both doors. Together, they made a tree. On each of the branches the word "Sephiroth" was inscribed. There were nine branches on the tree. At the very top of the tree, the words "Cheter Corona Radix Arbobis Sephi." In the exact center of the top, the words "Ehieh Pater" were shown.

The double sided doors began to creep open slowly with a eerie "creeaaak" sound. "Come with us Sora. You belong here with us." Inside the doors were two things: living darkness and eyes. How the eyes watched. They knew everything.

The eyes told Sora that it was his fault and that he should join them in the gate. They also told him that he could never go back to the way things were; everything happened for a reason. The boy tried to resist the call, but it began to overpower him. The darkness formed tiny hands. Thousands of tiny dark hands reached out to Sora in effort to pull him in.

"Sora." Went a faint whisper. Sora was too preoccupied with fighting the hands that he didn't bother to notice.

"Sora." It went again. The boy heard it, but was still struggling with the door.

"Riku help!" The boy was able to choke out. His voice was muffled by the hands. They reached for him, slowly pulling him in. Sora had given up hope as the hands covered his mouth. There'd be no more screaming from him. Sora was **going **to die.

A hand from nowhere grabbed Sora's collar. The boy's eyes were closing shut. It pulled at him quickly, getting him out of the gate just as the doors close.

Sora dropped to what would be considered the floor. He had made it out of the gate safely, but how? His eyes completely shut.

When Sora woke up, the room was covered in blood. Riku sat in the corner, crying and bleeding. The vermillion liquid was gushing from what was supposed to be a right arm. Instead, the arm only came halfway to the bicep. Riku's bloody red hair parted at his eye. He stared at the traumatized brunet. Riku gave up his arm for him.

Sora tried to stand, but he fell over. His left arm and right leg were missing. He looked down to where his limbs should be, instead there was just red gauze. Riku had wrapped up the boy's limbs, and attempted his before Sora woke up.

Where Kairi's body used to rest, there was just a stain. The stain was smoking, like the aftereffect of alchemy.

Two two looked at each other with dismay. Did all of this really happen? Are they going to die? What's going to happen next? Riku stated screaming for help amidst his quiet sobing.

"Where is Kairi?" Sora shouted to the best of his ability. This wasn't really the time for him to ask about it.

Sora didn't have much strength. He put all of his energy into screaming for help. Unfortunately for him, Riku had no energy, and passed out shortly before he did. "This is it." Sora thought. He tried to fight off sleep, but it too overpowered him.

2 days later...

The sun had crept up just enough so that light could hit Sora's face. His eyes fluttered open and he yawned. He felt refreshed and ready to go, but soon the reality of his situation set in. He almost died, and Riku paid the price for it.

Sora looked around. He was in a soft bed. There was only a bed, a table, and the door. There were no windows. The light overhead was plenty to light the yellow room.

As Sora sat up, he felt a presence weighing on his body. For a moment, he was nervous. He thought the gate was pulling at him again. No" he cried. "I don't want to go back!" He found himself unable to keep control and he fell out the bed. "I don't want to go back!"

Just then Selphie and Tidus rushed in the room. "Sora, you're awake." She sighed in relief.

"Well it's about time." The blonde looked down at Sora. He had oil on his face. He looked like a regular grease monkey.

Sora calmed down long enough to see that he was surrounded by familiar faces. Selphie noticed that he was trembling. "Sora are you okay?"

His eyes were widened to increase awareness. "." He tried to speak, but his mind couldn't process speech at the moment.

"What happened? When we found you, you were in the rubble of the abandoned house. There was blood everywhere. Have you been experimenting with alchemy again?" She was worried.

"Riku." He said

"Riku is gone. He checked on you, and made sure you were alright. But he left after he got fixed up." Tidus spoke up.

"Fixed?" Sora looked down to see that his missing limbs were replaced by auto-mail. They were the newest thing in prosthetic limbs. "Auto-mail? What's going on?"

"That's what I would like to know." Sora's mother stepped in the room with a look of "severely pissed off" on her face.

Sora knew he was in trouble...


	3. Episode 2

The sun had crept up just enough so that light could hit Sora's face

The sun had crept up just enough so that light could hit Sora's face. His eyes fluttered open and he yawned. He felt refreshed and ready to go, but soon the reality of his situation set in. He almost died, and Riku paid the price for it…

Previously on Alchemic Hearts…

"Sora, you're awake."

"Riku is gone."

"Fixed?"

"That's what I would like to know."

Sora knew he was in trouble...

Go-sen mairu hashitte iki o kirashite  
Adorenarin hyaku rittoru gotai subete furu kadou

Koko made kureba ii darou? Doko made ga OK?  
Machi o irodoru kigi wa moyougae kurikaeshiteru

Kawarihateta shirosa kawarenai yowasa  
Ima koko ni iru jibun o shinjitai

Migite hidarite furikazashite yami o kirisaite GO!  
Itsuwari wa nai ze kakugo kimeteru ze  
Sutaato kitta sono shunkan kara sekai wa hirogaru sa

Sora's mom had a rolled up newspaper in her hand. "What did I say about Alchemy?" She gripped it tighter.

"You said don't."

"And why is that?" Her left hand was shaking.

"Because people wind up with missing limbs for messing around in God's territory." Sora sulked. He leaned to the right slightly. His body wasn't used to the weight of the auto-mail yet.

"Damn right. Now Sora, I don't see two of the limbs that I made for you 14 years ago, so where are they?" His mother was still waiting promptly to beat the hell out of him.

"Mom, I know. I messed up. Things are even worse now. Riku's gone, Kairi is still dead and I-" He froze realizing what he had said. "Oh shit" is what he thought.

FWHAP! Sora fell back to the pillow he woke up from.

A hand flew across Sora's face, leaving a read mark on his left cheek. His mother widened her eyes. "You did WHAT?!"

The boy rubbed his face where he had been slapped. She glared at him seething with anger.

"W-we tried to bring Kairi back?"

At this point, the woman was so intensely angry that she began to beat Sora in such a manner, it was considered child abuse.

"Yeah, I think it's time we go." Selphie whispered to Tidus in hopes she doesn't catch an ass-whooping. The young boy nodded in agreeance. The twosome left.

As they came downstairs, someone greeted them. "Are they okay?" A stranger in all black greeted the two. He smiled an empty smile and the kids fell for it.

"Yeah, they're okay, but Sora won't be able to sit for a while." Tidus snickered.

"So how do you know Sora?" Selphie pulled a chair out for the gentleman.

"You see, I was the one who found him and the other boy and took them to the hospital. They were lying in the rubble of what was once my family's mansion. I acted quickly; luckily I got them there before they lost too much blood." The man explained. Selphie poured him a cup of tea.

The racket upstairs finally stopped. "Now march downstairs and thank the man for saving your life! Then apologize for destroying his house!"

There were footsteps heading towards the stairway. The boy emerged from the upper level holding his face and bottom. That is, until he saw the man.

"You-you're that guy I saw in the shadows that night. What are you doing here?" He pointed at the guest. Sora jumped from the stairs and landed on the kitchen table. Unfortunately for him, the weight of his new limbs caused the table to fall and him with it.

"I was in the shadows? I'm afraid you are a bit mistaken. I saved you. When you and your friend messed up your taboo transmutation, I was the one who made sure you were alive here today. It was I who carried you and your friend to the hospital." The man smiled his empty smile, but Sora knew what he saw.

"I just came to talk to you Sora. You see, I'm a state Alchemist." Sora froze when he heard that term. They usually don't come to these parts. Usually, when one appeared, it was the signal of something bad; ranging from something small like jail, or in comparison to things like war.

"You're a military dog? What do you need to see me for, and how did you know what Alchemy I used?" The boy stood up without any help from anyone.

"I think this is something we need to talk about without anyone around." He hinted to the other three in the room. Selphie and Sora's mom instantly got the hint. Tidus figured it out after he saw the other two leave.

The duo watched the others leave and Sora turned back to him. "So what do you really want?"

"Why, I'm surprised Sora. I didn't know you could actually pay attention long enough to get serious. The information gathered on you says you can't really focus too long, so I'll make this quick." He took a deep breath. "We want you to come and work for us."

Sora was stunned. Him, a State Alchemist? It was sudden. And even through it all, the best response he could muster was "so you're not here to arrest me or kill anyone?"

"Heavens no, I said I wanted to talk."

"Well, my answer is no. I don't want to have anything to do with Alchemy anymore. It's cost me my girlfriend, best friend, and two of my limbs that I know of at the moment. Save for me, there is nothing more in this world I hate more than Alchemy. Why would I want to take it back up?"

The guest leaned back in his chair. "There will come a day when there will be nothing you can do to stop someone you love from dying; at that point, Alchemy will be the only option. I want you to be ready Sora. I want you to be ready for whatever happens."

"Are you threatening me?" Sora jumped up from his chair.

"I am educating you." He replied flatly. "Now, should you choose to accept my invitation, go to what used to be the mansion. I'll be there."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you, your friends and family will die, and you can't stop it. Are you going to prepare for it?"

Sora thought for a moment. "Give me a couple days to think. I'll get back to you."

The stranger got up and walked over to the door.

"Wait, what's your name?"

"Mesna." And he walked out, leaving Sora sitting at the table confused.

Later…

"So he wants me to come join the State Alchemists. I told him no, but he insisted. His name is Mesna and he wants me to come visit him in two days. Mesna said that something is coming and that if I don't hone my Alchemic skills, I will be powerless to stop it and everyone I know and love will die." Sora's mom, Selphie, and Tidus gathered around him.

"So what are you going to do?" Selphie asked Sora, who was looking out the window. The smoke from the mansion was still smoldering.

"He's obviously going to say no. What's left of him?" Tidus tapped his head with his finger, signaling for the girl to think.

Sora's mother hated Alchemy. She didn't want him involved with it, and for good reason. Sora had already lost an arm and a leg, literally; there wasn't too much he could lose, except his life, which was far too precious to her.

Sora himself wasn't paying attention. His mind went back to what he saw. Those doors filled his thoughts with fear and strength. Yes, strength. Somehow, although he didn't know it, Sora was immensely stronger.

"Sora" His mother called to him to the fifth time.

He snapped back to attention. "Huh, oh, I'm not going."

"So what would happen if he was threatening us? Can you handle him?" Tidus and Selphie stood silent watching the two converse. They were continuously being left out.

"Nothing is going to happen, I don't need Alchemy, and we can drop it."

Sora's mother just looked at him. She knew her son. He was lying. He wanted to go, and it ate him up inside. He was growing.

"So, did he specify what would happen?" Sora's mother readjusted herself to the bed beside her son. He still wasn't paying much attention.

"No, he just said that I'd be powerless to stop it." The boy continued to mope. His funk seemed like it would never end.

The woman took a deep breath. "Then, if everyone is so important, you should go." Her voice broke. She knew that by letting Sora go, it'd possibly send him to his death. The look in his eyes was different from the Sora she knew.

Sora looked up at his mother. She was serious. He could tell by the cadence in her voice. The woman faced away from him to not see his face. She would break down in tears if she looked back. The woman began to walk away. "However, if you lose any more limbs, don't bother coming back at all."

Selphie and Tidus stared at her and then each other. Sora grinned. A tear formed in his right eye.

"Thanks mom."

…

In the distance, there was a shadow. Mesna knew that it was Sora. The boy gave off a very distinctive alchemic feel.

"Ah, Sora, I see you made it. Would you care for refreshments, or get right to it?" The man jokingly taunted. The boy said nothing as he moved past the smoke in the rubble. His face was finally exposed. There was nothing left to hide. Sora was there to learn with a serious look on his face.

"Stoic, nice, I like that. I noticed something about your Alchemy. Quite frankly, it sucks. For starters, you channel too much into equivalent exchange. Offering more than what you expect is good once or twice, but after a while equivalent exchange expects that. And it won't work if you don't have enough to offer. So starting from now until Sunday, you have to read my entire library." Mesna's facial expression dropped from jolly to serious.

"What library?" Sora finally spoke. Before the boy finished his sentence, Mesna moved over to where the living room used to be. In the remains on the fireplace, there was a small brown button. Only those who knew where it was would have been able to find it. Mesna pressed the button. The floor of what was left of the living room opened to reveal a staircase leading downstairs. "The library that's in my basement." The brown-skinned man led the way.

Coming down the stairs, Sora noticed a large shelf. It was only one shelf, so Sora was sure he could read that entire shelf between then and Sunday; that is, until he came fully downstairs. The whole basement was full of shelves. Each shelf was full of books, and every one of them he had to read by Sunday. "It's Friday now. By 8:00 pm Sunday night, you must have read all of this to understand what I intend to teach you." Mesna walked back upstairs. Sora heard his footsteps, and chased him. "Wait, I can't do this! There's got to be another way." Before Sora reached the top, the ceiling closed, leaving him to stay stranded there until Sunday. He came back down the stairs and looked at the rows upon rows of books. "Ah smoof" He "cursed" out loud.

Kairi just sat in a dark place. Nothing was happening. She blinked two times and stayed silent. Sora could just feel himself watching her. She turned to Sora and he opened mouth to speak, but he was pulled away from her at the last moment. "Wake up boy. I said here is your dinner." Mesna dropped a tray of food in front of Sora. "Huh" Sora jumps up. A piece of paper was stuck to the boy's face. "It's Saturday night and you've only read the first and second shelves. If you don't finish the whole library by Sunday night, you're done." Mesna began to walk away. "How can I memorize everything by tomorrow night? That's impossible." Mesna looked back at him. "I read this whole library in 30 minutes. I know you can do it by Sunday night." With that, the man went back upstairs. "AW SMOOF!"

About noon Sunday, Sora happens to stumble upon a book. It was the last one in the bookshelf he had not read. It was inappropriately titled "College level Alchemy and you." It was a college book. Previously, it was just used for last minute cramming. Using dangerous circles, an alchemist was allowed to literally absorb the information they touch. It was dangerous because it was an ultimately fatal technique; even labeled taboo. What it does is it converts the information into electricity, which is what your brain uses to communicate with the rest of your body. This holds high risks of electrocuting your brain, and frying your mind, leaving you in a vegetative state. Though done properly, one can learn alchemy of a higher caliber in books in a matter of seconds.

"So he did it in thirty minutes huh?" Sora began reading the book. The book itself would set him back a couple of hours, but if he learned what that book had to offer, it would be worth it. So the boy sat down to read the book. Upstairs, Mesna knew Sora found the book. His feel was now different from before. Mesna had made the right choice.

2:30 pm Sunday afternoon Sora put down the book. He had completed it and learned what Mesna meant. Before he thought it was impossible, but that book showed him something different. Sora, confident in his new abilities, looked at the rest of the library. "This will be cake." He said to himself and walked to the second shelf. Upstairs Mesna chuckled to himself. "Cake" He mocked the boy. "Ha, the cake is a lie."

Riku opened his eyes. Standing over him was a beautiful woman. She had long, black hair. One bang was separated and hung down the middle of her face. Her eyes, they were familiar. Like those of a dragon; fierce, deadly, but of siren quality. They called him, closer and closer, those eyes drew him into a false sense of security. The woman smiled a sweet smile. "Oh, you're awake." The boy's eyes fluttered a bit trying to readjust to the light. "You might just be a bit disoriented. Your body isn't really used to the additional weight, but it'll get there…eventually" Riku paid the woman no mind. He tried to sit up, but she put her hand on his chest, forcing him to fall on his back. "You need to rest. You've been unconscious for days, and you've also lost a lot of blood."

Riku looked at her strange. "Blood?" He obviously didn't think of what happened in Crystal City. "Yeah blood. You had to get a new arm, auto-mail. You can thank my men later when you're fully rested; until then, sleep. You won't be able to work in this condition." The woman tried reassuring Riku, but he wasn't buying it. It was never in his nature to just take the word of someone, so naturally the boy was suspicious.

"So where am I?" He started off with the most basic of questions. His intention was to play "20 Questions". The woman just stared back surprised. She severely underestimated him because he was young. "As a matter of fact, who are you? Why am I here? What the hell is going on?" She wasn't prepared for so many questions at once. It caught her off guard. "Somebody is going to start answering questions or things are going to get really bloody in here." It didn't take long for Riku to become his old grumpy self again.

"Well, aren't you a live wire? Very well, My name is Mel; Mel Meilhes, and this is my camp. I found you bleeding in what remained of the mansion of my childhood friend." She answered his questions in order. "So I brought you here to be fitted with an auto-mail; though this stuff doesn't come free. You're in my debt doubly; once for saving your life and again for the new arm. You'll be working in search parties, once you're done with your rehabilitation of course. And as good as you are kid, you're nowhere near the skill level of me and my men. Does that about sum it up for you?" Mel stared down at the boy and he stared right back.

Riku rolled his eyes and turned away from her. "Whatever" He closed his eyes and intended to sleep, but Mel turned him over and got in his face. Her eyes. Those eyes were different from the ones a few seconds ago. It was like staring deep into a dragon's eyes after someone had made it mad. They were an electric, crispy green. A tuft of her long, black hair hung down over her right eye. She opened her mouth to speak.

"You disrespect me again boy, I'll have your auto-mail ripped off and put at the bottom of a well; do you hear my boy?" Mel's face was twisted in rage. Even when she was angry, she was beautiful; though that didn't halt Riku's fear. The boy nodded. "You say yes ma'am when you reply to me got that?" Her grip tightened on Riku's shoulder. He could only open his mouth from sheer pain. No sound came out as the nerves connecting with the metal cried out in agony. She let go of his shoulder only to see that her nails had pierced his skin. Riku began gasping for air. His voice was raspy, like he strained it. Mel stood up and began to walk out of the tent. "Fix him. Make sure the dog doesn't stray from his leash." She said to one of the attendants in the area.

Mel walked out of the tent and was greeted by one of her cohorts immediately. "Good day Mel, and how are you?" The man wore a long blue coat. It looked like on from the military. "Colonel Hayden Mortis, how excellent to see you here. Is everything ready for moving?" The terrifying lady grinned benevolently. The military man only chuckled and walked past her. "Well, so much for respect and comradery." She turned around and followed him back into the tent.

The royal mage/advisor Donald Mallard had gathered the Captain of his majesty's Royal Knights, the queen and her caretaker into the queen's chamber to discuss the letter the king left.

"Donald, sorry to rush off without saying goodbye, but there's big trouble brewing.

Not sure why, but the people in the towns are dying off out, one by one; and that means disaster can't be far behind. I hate to leave you all but I have to go check into it. There's someone with a "tablet" It's the key to everyone's survival. So I need you and Goofy to find him, and stick with him, got it? We need that key or we're doomed! So go to Traverse Town and find Colonel Squall. He'll point you in the right direction. P.S. Would you apologize to Minnie for me? Thanks pal, The King MM."

"Oh dear, what could it mean?" Daisy, the queen's caretaker and nurse asked Donald. "It' means we'll just have to trust the king." The queen replied quickly. They all stared at the queen.

"Don't work your highness." The short magician tried to reassure queen. "We'll find the king and this "tablet." The woman nodded.

"Thank you, both of you." She looked and Donald and Geoff, or as he's affectionately called, Goofy. "And to chronicle your travels, he will accompany you." Queen Minnie moved her hand to her left. There, behind the king's desk, was a short man. He took of his hat curtly, bowed and said "James N. E. Crickette, at your service."

The queen, her nursemaid, and Captain Geoffrey all stood beside each other, with the taller man saluting. Donald grabbed him and said "You're coming too."

A man in a blue overcoat scratched his chin. His driver was waiting for the traffic officer to signal the car to go. They both sighed as the wreckage in front of them was slowly removed. The passenger looked at his driver and asked "So did you hear?"

The driver nodded his head. "The youngest State Alchemist in history. It would be an honor to have him as a child sir." He focused his eyes back on the non-changing conditions. The traffic officer looked in the direction of the passenger in the military car. He smiled at the young colonel and went back to his job. "I think its best I walk from here." The passenger said to his driver. The man in front seat looked back and agreed.

The passenger got out of the vehicle and grabbed his briefcase. He walked towards the traffic officer. As he neared, the officer bragged to the colonel "It's too late. We already have him. You'll see him on the battlefield soon enough." He smiled and left the colonel to clear the last piece from the earlier wreckage. The colonel's face dropped. He looked at his files to get the address of the boy he was supposed to be recruiting, and ran off.

The hatch/door thing opened to reveal Mesna's smug face. He walked downstairs to where Sora was just sitting. Mesna chuckled. "So I take it you found the book. That's good, I was almost afraid I would have to fail you. At least you managed to avoid this danger. Alright, head upstairs and I'll be up shortly. We're to begin your training." Sora walked past the man and went upstairs to find the house completely restored. "I wonder how he'll do."

Sora looked around the living room. Now this looked like a house someone lived in. The first thing the boy noticed was that the fireplace was roaring. It cackled and blazed, illuminating the room, which seemed to be golden. The whole living room was warm and had an all around 'home' feeling. Of all things to be on his mind at that moment, it was his friends. Not even his mother, his friends. There was a warm feeling in his chest. The boy grabbed his chest where the warmth was. "Riku…Kairi"

There was a thump. The windows shook a little. Sora looked around the room for whatever was making that noise. "THUMP" It went off again. Whatever was making that noise, it was big…


	4. Chapter 4

There are some of you who are probably wondering "What happened to Q. Fuller?!" I'll explain to you the scenario now. I'm in the army now, so I don't have a lot of time for fanfictions. I do however have a lot of free time which I use for gaming and working out. But that's not what I wanted to say. There was only one fan who supported me in all of this, but I've not been able to get to her/him/whatever. I'd like to thank the knguy…or something. It's pretty late, so I'm not thinking too straightly.

Anywho, Alchemic Hearts is- was an experiment; a test of my writing ability. Needless to say, it didn't go over so well. Case in point, only one reviewer. Now, this may seem pointless and retarded, but I'm putting AH on permanent hiatus. Why? You see, I never meant for this to turn into a fic. I wanted to do this in flash and create a series on Newgrounds. As anyone who's wise in their years will tell you, plans don't always go as planned. Pun definitely intended. In the years that I've had AH in my mind, I never learned flash. So I never did the flash series on Newgrounds.

With that said, I REALLY doubt that I'll continue this as a fic. I never wanted to fic this in the first place, so I doubted its survival rate from the very beginning. And for about a week in 2008, I was actually dedicated to writing this, but I'm sad to say that I never fleshed that out; college and all. So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to answer the questions that the only reviewer had and list this under complete, if not delete it all together. Ready? Okay.

If there IS going to be something like Shamballa, will there will be alternates? I mean...like if Sora sacrificed himself, instead of finding himself inside the Gate, he finds himself on the other side? He meet other alternates of his friends and family and lived with Alter!Riku. How about Sora's alter form died crushed by something like a zepplin when he was transferred into his body? If Riku was anything like Al, his alternate will be killed before he gets into the world of NO ALCHEMY, 'our' world?

A: This fic started when I was working at Dover Downs in 2006. I was listening to "Tourniquet" by Evanescence and imagined Kairi getting sent to the gate. This was during FMA's second run on AS, and I was watching it for the first time then. The AH world is parallel to the KH world. That is to say that the gated open up and the real Kingdom Hearts universe would be on the other side.

At some point self transmutation was going to come up, but I had no idea how to work that. Though, it was the AH equivalent of teleporting. Again, I rushed into it. So yes, there were alternate forms of the characters. However, there wasn't going to be a AH version of Xion. Fuck that bitch.

2. Will Sora had to crumpled upon difficult trials like Ed Elric in FMA? Though with his friends, he may have survived under trials that adults had to go through... He had to be serious as an adult from now on...But Donald and Goofy might say smiles only...their journey will be dark and gloomy...there should be smiles despite the hardships placed on them.

A: I intended for it to be like Kingdom Hearts 1. Light hearted, but deep in the beginning and more serious in the end. There is something to be said about a human Mickey though. The idea in my head was kind of cool.

3. Hey! What is Sora's military name? Maybe like all State Alchemists, their names are based on their attributes... Maybe because of his automail limbs, don't you think he will be called something like Full Metal? 

A: No, I never intended for Sora to be FullMetal. I never settled on a name, but if I were to have named him, it was would have been "The Kingdom Alchemist"

4. Sorry, I'm a anime/manga otaku. I get easily obssessed over stuff like these.

Youngest State Alchemist in history...sounds familiar... 

A: So was I, which is why I started the idea. And honestly, youngest state alchemist had nothing to do with Edward Elric.

5. Hey! Will there still be the Philosopher's Stone? There better be beside that Crimson Elixir! Sora will try anything to find his best friends, am I correct? He also need to restore his limbs maybe also restore Riku's limbs too...

A: Yes, there was a stone. It's what Blasphemy/Xemnas was doing the whole time. At some point, it would have been up to the reader whether or not Sora would have gotten his limbs back. Riku never lost limbs, so there was no need to get them back.

6. Is Tidus going to be the primary mechanic to Sora? When Sora's automail was attached, didn't it connect to the nerves and make even the hardest man cry for his mommy? Why Sora didn't feel the pain when he's asleep or he was so deep in unconsciousness to feel such horrible pain? 

A: Yes, Tidus is Winry. And again, I severely underestimated this, so I didn't take that into account. Yes, he should have cried for his mommy, but his mommy was going to whoop his ass anyway, so it didn't matter.

7. Will there be still serial killers?

A: Dear God yes.

8. Who's gonna be like Scar of FMA?

Funny story about this, I created an original character to e the "Scar" of AH. And now that I think about it, he never finished development. He would up being developed into my character for a web comic I'm going to be starting once I get AI. The character Azen (AH Scar) became integrated into the previously existing, underdeveloped character Txian.

9. Who's Sora's alchemy/martial arts teacher? Will there be still be a town like Lior or Xenotime? How about an underground city? Who's gonna be like Roy Mustang and the other characters of FMA? Seriously, I am very obssessed with FMA right now... 

A: His teacher would have been Merlin like in KH.

Leon - Roy Mustang.

Cid – Major Armstrong

Yuffie – Riza Hawkeye

OC – Maes Hughes

OC's for everyone else.

Worlds from KH were the cities and countries in AH.

10. I seriously thinking maybe Sora will travel with Donald and Goofy in search of the King. Don't you think there will be somebody like that Rose girl in FMA? I have a feeling that humonculus would still appear. Hey, are Heartlesses and Nobodies exist? If they do...then Roxas, Namine, and Organization 13 have to appear! 

That was the main plan. Sora, Donald, and Geoffrey were travelling searching for the midget with the puffballs for hair. Mickey also had a lavender colored hair. Aerith was Rose. Organization 13 were the homunculi. I added more sin since I couldn't think of anything else:

Blasphemy – Xemnas

Pride –Xigbar

Envy - Xaldin

Gluttony - Vexen

War - Lexaeus

Pestilence - Zexion

Wrath – Saix

Insanity – Axel

Sloth – Demyx

Greed - Luxord

Vanity – Marluxia

Lust – Larxene

Murder - Roxas

Namine – Nothing.

I also added 4 separate homunculi, which were:

Oblivion

Sodomy

Death

Sin

Namine was a different kind of homunculus.

11. Do all these people live in the same world, but different places? It doesn't feel like they are living in different universes. Will it be like the anime? It better be! 

Yes, it was.

12. So can Sora use alchemy without a transmutation circle? After all Sora saw the Gate...I don't know if Riku did saw the Gate.. Hey! Are you going to base this off of FMA anime? It would be cool...You could even let Sora sacrificed himself to let Riku return back to life? 

A: Yeah, Sora saw the gate as did Riku. Riku, however had no idea that he didn't need circles until later on, which is why he always seemed much more powerful. Based off the anime, a little, the game? A little more. Sora sacrificed himself for KAiri and Murder was created. However, something happened that never happened before: Equivalent Exchange was fair, and then got cheated.

13: You know...like Sora being trapped in a world with NO alchemy and he studied rocketry thinking outer space would guide him back to his world?

A: No, the other side of the gate was the real Kingdom Hearts (as in the game)

And to finish up, here's the latest of what I have written, aside from the Ansem scene where he fought Rikunort, of which I actually haven't seen in a two years. Go figure. Anyway, read up at this, it's the last of AH. I will however, be doing other fics again soon, so check those out.

2.

Don't work your highness." The short magician tried to reassure queen. "We'll find the king and this "tablet." The woman nodded.

"Thank you, both of you." She looked and Donald and Geoff, or as he's affectionately called, Goofy. "And to chronicle your travels, he will accompany you." Queen Minnie moved her hand to her left. There, behind the king's desk, was a short man. He took of his hat curtly, bowed and said "James N. E. Crickette, at your service."

The queen, her nursemaid, and Captain Geoffrey all stood beside each other, with the taller man saluting. Donald grabbed him and said "You're coming too."

A man in a blue overcoat scratched his chin. His driver was waiting for the traffic officer to signal the car to go. They both sighed as the wreckage in front of them was slowly removed. The passenger looked at his driver and asked "So did you hear?"

The driver nodded his head. "The youngest State Alchemist in history. It would be an honor to have him as a child sir." He focused his eyes back on the non-changing conditions. The traffic officer looked in the direction of the passenger in the military car. He smiled at the young colonel and went back to his job. "I think its best I walk from here." The passenger said to his driver. The man in front seat looked back and agreed.

The passenger got out of the vehicle and grabbed his briefcase. He walked towards the traffic officer. As he neared, the officer bragged to the colonel "It's too late. We already have him. You'll see him on the battlefield soon enough." He smiled and left the colonel to clear the last piece from the earlier wreckage. The colonel's face dropped. He looked at his files to get the address of the boy he was supposed to be recruiting, and ran off.

The hatch/door thing opened to reveal Mesna's smug face. He walked downstairs to where Sora was just sitting. Mesna chuckled. "So I take it you found the book. That's good, I was almost afraid I would have to fail you. At least you managed to avoid this danger. Alright, head upstairs and I'll be up shortly. We're to begin your training." Sora walked past the man and went upstairs to find the house completely restored. "I wonder how he'll do."

Sora looked around the living room. Now this looked like a house someone lived in. The first thing the boy noticed was that the fireplace was roaring. It cackled and blazed, illuminating the room, which seemed to be golden. The whole living room was warm and had an all around 'home' feeling. Of all things to be on his mind at that moment, it was his friends. Not even his mother, his friends. There was a warm feeling in his chest. The boy grabbed his chest where the warmth was. "Riku…Kairi"

There was a thump. The windows shook a little. Sora looked around the room for whatever was making that noise. "THUMP" It went off again. Whatever was making that noise, it was big…

The noise was a steel golem Mesna was controlling. Mesna, if you can't read backwards, is Ansem. And he was training Sora so he could take his body, just like he did to "The Golden Alchemist" ten years before.

:-7


End file.
